


Kaitlyn Overdree

by LambsLams



Category: Hamilton - Miranda
Genre: Alex needs a hug, Alexander Hamilton is George Washington & Martha Washington's Adopted Son, F/F, F/M, Foster Care, George Washington is a Dad, Lams - Freeform, M/M, OC, Washingdad, gayyyyy, mullette
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-31
Updated: 2020-07-23
Packaged: 2021-03-03 01:40:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 10
Words: 9,199
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24476632
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LambsLams/pseuds/LambsLams
Summary: It had been a year since Alex had first come to the Washingtons, and one month since he had been officially adopted into the Washington family, but he still couldn't believe it. He had always been good at lying, keeping his emotions covered by the mask that was his face. If you looked at him, you would think he was happy. That he was collected. That he was in control.But the voices inside his head were cruel.His knife cut deep.John was the only thing he lived for.Kaitlyn Overdree was a 16-year-old girl from NYC, raised with her dad and her 10 year old sister in a two-bedroom apartment downtown. She was exceptionally smart for her age, always the head of the class and grade.But her dad packed a good punch.Her knife cut deep.Her sister was the only thing she lived for.
Relationships: Aaron Burr/Theodosia Prevost Burr, Alexander Hamilton & Gilbert du Motier Marquis de Lafayette, Alexander Hamilton & John Laurens & Gilbert du Motier Marquis de Lafayette & Hercules Mulligan, Alexander Hamilton & OC, Alexander Hamilton/John Laurens, Gilbert du Motier Marquis de Lafayette/Hercules Mulligan, Maria Reynolds/Elizabeth "Eliza" Schuyler, OC/Margarita "Peggy" Schuyler, Thomas Jefferson/James Madison
Comments: 12
Kudos: 44





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> So this story goes between Alex's and Kaitlyn's POVs, but mostly it's just third person. Enjoy!

Kaitlyn Overdree was a 15-year-old girl from NYC, raised with her dad and her 10 year old sister in a two-bedroom apartment downtown. She was exceptionally smart for her age, always the head of the class and grade. Now, her life wasn’t great. It wasn’t even good. She didn’t have any friends in school or out of school, her alcoholic and abusive dad didn’t have a job so they were 4 months behind rent, her mom killed herself when Kaitlyn was 9 and the only good thing in her life was her sister. So, in other words, her life sucked. 

“Kaitlyn! Get over here!” Kaitlyn flinched when she heard her dad calling. She knew what was coming, so she just sucked in a deep breath and made her way to the living room to get it over with. 

“Yes, Father?” She said, trying to be as polite as she could. There were a few rules when it came to her dad: one, only speak when you are spoken to, two, if you talk back you get hit, and three, don't ask questions. Now, Kaitlyn was kind of bad at that, seeing that she was very, very talkative and never afraid to start an argument. Normally she would know better than to upset her father, but as long as he hated her, he wouldn’t take it out on her sister. Lily was the only thing Kaitlyn lived for, hell, if Lily didn’t exist, Kaitlyn probably would’ve followed in her mother’s footsteps years ago.

“We’re moving to Virginia. Our poor excuse for a landlord is kicking us out, but one of my friends there is willing to take us in while I try to find a job. He is being very kind to us, so don’t be rude and respect him. He won’t be afraid to use proper punishment.”

Kaitlyn gulped. She knew what that meant. She nodded to her father, not breaking eye contact the whole conversation. 

Kaitlyn got her sister and together they packed up what little clothes they had, along with a few trinkets and a photograph of their mother, and before they had time to process any of this, they were on a bus to Virginia.

The whole ride there, Kaitlyn’s father lectured her and her sister about everything they needed to act like in the house they were staying in, nothing she hadn’t heard repeated over and over again the last 4 hours. She resisted the urge to jump off the bus, just so she could stop listening to her father droning on and on. 

Soon they arrived at the house, and Kaitlyn was shocked at the size. It was a massive house, at least 3 stories high with red roofs stretching over the building. There were beautiful arched windows and intricate designs on the red front door, and Kaitlyn could see a bit into the backyard, where there were freaking topiaries. She didn’t think she had ever seen anything so fancy and expensive, let alone be near it and about to live in it. She could feel her jaw hanging open and couldn’t bring herself to close it.

“Are you sure this is the right house, d-dad?” She hated calling him that name, for he had not deserved it at all, but if she didn’t that would be interpreted as disrespectful, and she knew the consequences of that.

“Yes I’m sure, Kaitlyn, now go and be a good girl and get our bags.”

He shoved her towards the car, completely ignoring the fact that he pushed her directly into her sister.

“Jesus, sorry Luc,” she whispered, not loud enough for her dad to hear. Taking the lord’s name in vain or some crap.

“It’s fine, Kat. Need some help with the bags?”

Kaitlyn gave her sister a smile, though it wasn't filled with happiness. None of her smiles have had happiness in them for years. “No, go with-“ she cringed, “dad.”

Lily nodded and followed her father up the steps, Kaitlyn soon following after holding all three bags plus another one filled with liquor from her dad. 

She could see another man open the door as her dad rang the doorbell, and she could feel her heart start to beat as she took in his appearance. He was tall, probably around 6’ 4” or so, with a broad chest and obvious muscle. He had darker skin, with a smooth bald head.

“George! Thank you again for letting us stay here.” Her dad placed a hand on his shoulder and put on a wide smile. It was amazing how much of a different person he was around different people.

“Of course! Anything for a friend.” Kaitlyn made her way to the door, standing beside her sister, her heart still thumping out of her chest. This man could snap her in half if he wanted to. Her dad was one thing, but she was usually able to just leave the house if he was drunk or in a bad mood. This, on the other hand…

This was going to hurt. 


	2. Chapter 2

The man leaned over to look at Kaitlyn and her sister, and a wide smile grew on his face. It seemed genuine, though she knew better than that. Nothing was genuine in this world.

"These must be your daughters. I'm George." He held out a hand towards Kaitlyn, who hesitantly took it and introduced herself.

"I'm Kaitlyn, this is my sister Lily." She shrunk in on herself as she said this, the man seeming to get bigger and more threatening each second.

"Kaitlyn, posture." Her father placed a firm hand on her shoulder, and she winced as he pressed down on a bruise. 

George seemed to be watching this interaction, something skeptical in his eyes. It was obvious he was suspecting something, but Kaitlyn couldn't tell what. He already knew the way they were punished... right?

"Well, let me take your bags and then I can show you guys your rooms." He reached his hand out towards the bags Kaitlyn was holding, but was stopped by her father pushing his arm away. 

"She can take them. Lord knows she need the exercise."

George didn't seem at all happy with his response, but he kept quiet and opened the door, signalling for them to come in.

"Bedrooms are on the second floor," he pointed to a door across the room, "that's the kitchen, and this is the living room. There's another room upstairs for video games, but usually only the boys use that one."

Kaitlyn raised one eyebrow, a trait she had inherited from her mother. "Boys?"

George looked at her, confused. "Yes, I have two adopted sons, Alexander and Gilbert. He would probably prefer you call him Lafayette though, I'm sure. Did your father not tell you?"

Her dad put on one of his crooked, fake smiles and chuckled underneath his breath. "I must have forgotten, sorry for the confusion."

Kaitlyn resisted the urge to roll her eyes as George dismissed it and led them upstairs to their rooms. "The boys are out right now, but they should be back soon. They're all very excited to meet you. Martha is just in the kitchen, I think she's cleaning." He smiled fondly at the thought of his wife. "She can't stand any room in the house being dirty, not the least bit."

At this moment, Mrs. Washington walked through the door, warmly smiling at all of her new guests. "Hi! Sorry, I couldn't be there to greet when you first came in, huns."

She stretched her arms out at Kaitlyn's father, planting a kiss on his cheek as they embraced. "Fred, it's been too long. I'm so glad we could lend a hand."

Frederick smiled at her. "Thanks for everything, Martha. My girls and I are very grateful, right Kaitlyn?" He put his arm around her shoulders, holding her tight beside him. Kaitlyn tried her best to suppress her flinch, and was surprisingly successful, though if one knew the signs they would be able to tell something was wrong.

They started up the stairs, Kaitlyn trying her best to keep her balance with the uneven bags strapped to her shoulders. The house only seemed to get bigger the more she looked at it, which she guessed makes sense since she’s seeing more of it.

“Kaitlyn,” her dad snapped. “Faster.” Kaitlyn sighed and started to catch up, locking eyes with George on the way. He looked- worried? No. He couldn’t be. No one was worried about Kaitlyn Overdree.

They eventually made it to the rooms, and George started pointing them out as we passed.

He pointed to the first door, closest to the stairs, “That one’s Gilbert’s, the next is Alexander’s, those two are connected by a washroom they share. The one next to Alexander’s will be yours Kaitlyn, it’s connected to the one beside it which Lily will stay in. Frederick, you’ll stay in the one next to the master bedroom, Martha and I’s.” 

“They won't be sharing a room?” Her father gestured to Kaitlyn and Lily. 

“We have the room, why not?”

Her father reluctantly nodded, and Kaitlyn wanted to ask why they had such a big house if it was just the two of them and their adopted kids. Of course, she didn’t, she knew better than to speak out of turn.

She stepped into her room when she figured it was appropriate, but she stopped short when she saw the room. It had to be at least 4 times bigger than her old room, maybe even bigger than the whole apartment. There was a large bed in the corner, a dresser on the wall, a nightstand, and a desk. It was quite basic, obvious no one had used it in forever. It was clean, though. 

“T-this is a-all mine?” She turned back towards George and her family. George nodded and gave her a warm smile.

“All yours.” Her father had a look of disbelief and- betrayal? That made sense, she supposed, he said George would use proper punishment, and yet all he’s shown us is kindness without a hint of cruelty. 

No.

She wouldn’t be fooled. It was an act. 

It was always an act.

They left her in her room to unpack while George showed them the other rooms, and she was thankful for the alone time. Anything to get away from her father.

She was grateful her and her sister’s rooms were connected, so they would be able to get to each other faster in case something happened. She still wasn’t sure what to make of George, but she knew her father wouldn’t get any nicer, especially when they were alone. She wondered what George’s wife would be like, and their two boys. Would they be as nice as George seemed to be? Or- wait. No. George isn’t nice. _Dammit, Kaitlyn. Get a hold of yourself._ She couldn’t just come into a stranger’s house and expect them not to treat her badly. 

She sighed and sat down on the bed, surprised at the softness, and let herself be swallowed by the mounds of blankets before falling into a fitful sleep full of worry and fear. She tried to be brave. She really did. And most of the time she was, or she at least acted like it. 

But on the inside she was always going to be scared. Scared of her father. Scared of the Washingtons. Scared of the world.

Scared of herself.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi! I don't think this was my best writing, and the ending was a bit rushed, but I'm tired GiVe Me A bReAk. Anyways, hope you liked it! :)


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TW- Homophobic slur, violence (just Alex punching someone, I wonder why)

“ _ Fags.”  _

Alex whipped his head around to face the voice. “What the  _ hell _ did you just say?”

“I’m pretty sure I said  _ fags. _ ” 

At this point all the boys had turned around and were giving death stares to Charles Lee. 

Alex stepped up, stopping about a foot away from Charles. He opened his mouth to speak but was interrupted when Charles pushed him away.

“Woah, not too close there, don’t want your boyfriend to get jealous.”

Alex saw red. “Ok, you know what?” There was a deafening crack, and then Charles was on the ground and Herc was pulling Alex away. 

Alex knew it was best not to protest as Herc was way stronger than him and it wouldn’t get him anywhere, so all he did was glare at Charles as they walked away.

They walked just until they were out of reach from Charles, stopping a few corners away from where the scene happened. 

They all stopped there, out of breath, and stayed silent for about a minute before they all burst out laughing, almost in perfect unison.

“ _ Alexandre,  _ that was priceless!” They slowly started to calm down, Laf’s eyes watering and Herc’s face about as read as a tomato.

“Shit! My hand hurts so bad, guys.” For some reason, that just made them laugh even harder, and they started attracting looks from people walking by. 

It took them about five whole minutes to stop laughing and control themselves. They didn’t know what was so funny, it could’ve been Lee’s face when Alex punched him, or it could be the fact how quickly Alex resorted to violence, or it could just be they were so tired and almost everything was funny at this point.

Alex and Laf knew that a friend of George’s and his family were going to be staying with them until his friend could find a job, and Alex had been staying up even later than usual worrying about it. He had never been good with new people, especially with all that he’d been through, so even though he was with the Washingtons and they were good people, he still assumed the worst. You know, that whole violence thing where they hit him everytime he did something remotely bad.

He hated to admit it, but he still hadn’t truly gotten over what happened in his previous foster homes. He still flinched when someone put their hand out, or made a sudden movement near Alex. he had been through a lot, so it probably wouldn’t be normal for him to have gotten over it already, but his pride wouldn’t let him think that, and his conscience made sure he knew that he was weak for being like this. Being himself. 

His train of thought was interrupted as his phone rang, and he took it out of his pocket to see that it was George calling.

“Hey George. What’s up?” Alex still refused to call George and Martha “dad” and “mom”, even now that he was adopted. It was hard for him to explain, he supposed it was because he had never had a good experience with dads, and he felt like if he called Martha “mom” it would be like replacing his own mother, and he could never do that to her.

“ _ The Overdrees arrived about an hour ago, are you at the mall with Herc and Laf?”  _ Alex ignored the question and immediately started panicking on the inside.

“Oh, shit, they’re here?”

“ _ Language, son.” _

“Not your son. Should Laf and I head home?”

Alex could hear George sigh at his remark, but he knows Alex has never liked that term, even after he was adopted. 

“ _ Sure. See you in 15 minutes?” _

“Kay, we’ll be right there. Bye.”

“ _ Bye.” _

Alex hung up and turned to his adoptive brother. “Laf, we gotta head home, the Overdree’s arrived.”

Laf made a sound of agreement and nodded before planting a quick peck on Hercules’ cheek. 

“Au revoir, mon chere.”

“Bye, Laf.” 

Alex ignored the pang of jealousy in his chest as he watched their exchange. John had been in Puerto Rico the past two weeks on vacation with his family, and he missed him like crazy. It had taken them about 4 months to get together after they first met, and since then it had been another 6, yet it still felt like they hadn’t gotten any alone time or anything. 

He said goodbye to Herc as he and Laf started to leave the mall, getting in Laf’s car and driving towards their house. He still couldn’t believe it was  _ his _ house too. Well, it was technically his house while he was just being fostered, but it never really seemed like it. He had just gotten adopted about a month ago, so it was still new to everyone, not just him. Nothing really changed at all, but it felt more official.

The drive home was mostly quiet, both of them wondering what their guests would be like. Laf was hopeful they would be nice, and Alex was worried they wouldn’t be. Now, there’s a difference. You know, glass half full versus half empty. Alex was definitely doing better than he was when he first came to the Washingtons, but he was still his very pessimistic self. He liked to call it realistic, but his reality was mostly painted with death, betrayal, pain, fear, so naturally that was what he expected, even with his life with the Washingtons now, he still was sure they would throw him out soon, so at this point he was just trying to enjoy it while it lasted. 

He tried to be brave. He really did. And most of the time he was, or at least acted like it.

But on the inside he was always going to be scared. Scared of the past. Scared of the Washingtons. Scared of the world.

Scared of himself. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi! Hoped you liked it! See y'all next chapter byeeeee :)


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi! Ok, so the first half of this is actually Martha's POV, even though I never planned on it, it just happened and I stuck with it. Enjoy! :)

“Hey, Martha.” Alex and Laf had just arrived at the house, waiting for their new guests to come downstairs. 

“Hi, boys. Have fun at the mall?”

Him and Laf nodded their heads in unison. They weren’t lying, the mall had been fun, even without the whole punching thing. 

**(I was just too lazy to actually write what they did for the majority of the trip oops…)**

“You stayed out of fights, right?” Martha knew the boys had a tendency to resort to violence instead of using their words, especially Alexander. It was amusing, sometimes, but also a bit of a disappointment seeing he had such a way with words. Well, more like he had a way with insulting people and arguing with them. But he was her son, even if he didn’t consider her his mother, and she loved him.

Alex and Laf exchanged a look, and then started hysterically laughing, Alex bent over clutching his stomach. 

Martha didn’t exactly like their response, but she let it slide. She had always had a soft spot for her boys.

Soon, Lily and Frederick came down the stairs, stopping at the bottom of them to find their host with two laughing boys, faces red and bodies shaking. Martha turned towards the guests.

“Do either of you know if Kaitlyn is asleep? If she’s not she can just meet the boys later, it’s fine.” Lily shrugged and made her way to introduce herself to Alex and Lafayette, who introduced themselves as well.

“I’ll go check, Martha. Be right back,” Frederick said. Martha nodded as he turned towards the stairs and started to walk up. 

She had this feeling about him, though she couldn’t quite place it. He was an old friend of her and George’s, but she hadn’t actually talked to him in years, other than the occasional card or text. He seemed- different. She knew his wife had passed, but she had talked to him since then and he seemed fine. Right? 

She couldn’t quite place it, he just seemed off. A feeling of dread washed over her as she saw him return with Kaitlyn, who seemed to have a slight limp, and her cheeks were puffed as though she had been crying. A nightmare, maybe? Alex used to have those often, and he still did sometimes. 

Normally she would’ve let it slide, figuring she was just upset over something that wasn’t important, and it wasn’t any of her business anyway. But still, she felt like something was drastically wrong in this situation, and the way Kaitlyn was acting, it almost reminded her of Alexander, when he first came to them. That thought haunted her the rest of the introductions, all the way through dinner, and the rest of the night.

***

“Alexander Hamilton.”

Kaitlyn smiled politely and shook his hand, careful not to let her sleeve ride up. She had to admit, both of the boys were very good looking. But she wasn’t looking for a relationship, and she swung more the other way. 

“Kaitlyn Overdree.”

He smiled warmly at her, but something faltered as he looked at her hand. She was sure her sleeves covered her arm, so he couldn’t have seen the cuts. She followed his line of sight to some fading bruises on her wrists and the lower part of her hand, and quickly snatched it away before turning to the other boy. 

“I’m assuming you’re Gilbert? Lafayette? Mr. Washington didn’t tell me what I should call you, though he thought you would prefer Lafayette.”

Instead of shaking her hand, he slowly reached for it, lifting it up and planting a kiss on the back of it. “Lafayette will do just fine, ma cherie.” He had a thick french accent, she noticed(It was hard not to), but she also realized he was staring at the bruise that was failing to keep unnoticed. A worried expression crossed his face, and he looked at Alexander, who just shook his head and gave him a look that read “Talk about it later.”

Kaitlyn cleared her throat, breaking the awkward silence that had filled the air surrounding the three teens, and just as she was about to say something, Alex nudged her side, making her flinch for the 100th time today.

“Don’t mind Laf, he’s like that with everyone. Also,” he playfully glared at him, “he has a boyfriend. Don’t you, Laf?”

Lafayette playfully swatted Alexander’s arm. “Hercules knows I am a huge flirt, and he is okay with it.” Alex just sighed as Kaitlyn gaped at their interaction. 

Lafayette had a boyfriend? And the way they talked about it so freely, she could only assume the Washingtons were fine with it. That was, well, great, considering she was homoflexible. She didn’t like labels, but that’s what fit her the most, seeing as she was attracted to guys and girls, but mostly just girls. 

She realized she was staring and collected herself, forming a response in her head. 

“T-that’s really cool, actually!” She could feel a smile start to grow on her face, but quickly shut it off as she saw her father staring at her from across the room. 

Laf and Alex grinned at each other, though worry was still clearly in their expressions. 

She had to stop this. Stop this- feeling. She wouldn’t let herself get comfortable. She wouldn’t let herself get attached. She didn’t deserve it.

She hated her dad, for obvious reasons. She didn’t want to, but she couldn’t help but to hate her mom too for leaving them. She hated the kids at her school, and she hated the teachers who would turn a blind eye every time they saw a bruise. She hated her only friend who turned her back on her, making almost everyone in the school hate her, before she killed herself and blamed it on Kaitlyn.

But as much as she hated everything in her life, she knew most of what she hated was probably her fault.

It was always her fault.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you've read Time to Take a Shot, you might recognize the ending of this chapter from the very beginning of the other fic, where Alex is says "As much as he hated everything in his life, he knew most of what he hated was probably his fault. It was always his fault."
> 
> I just changed it to she/her and made it about what Kaitlyn hated. 
> 
> Anyway, see you guys next chapter! Hope you liked it!! :)


	5. Chapter 5

They were all seated at the dinner table, the adults making friendly conversation while Lily told the boys about basically everything, leaving out anything that had to do with their dad. Even though Lily was young, she knew that was something they weren’t supposed to talk about. 

“And then my friend Macey told me that I shouldn’t do that because-”

“Lily,” Kaitlyn interrupted. “how about you let Alexander and Lafayette talk too?”

Lily formed an ‘O’ shape with her mouth, and then glanced worryingly and the boys. “Sorry.”

Alex smiled warmly at her and shook his head. “Don’t be. I like hearing you talk.”

Lily’s face lit up immediately, and she continued her story with even more enthusiasm than before.

Kaitlyn was sick. She looked around the table, watching everyone smile and eat their food, watching her dad pretend that he had a completely normal, happy, family, watching Lily carry on with so much of an emotion they were very unfamiliar with lace her words. Happiness. 

She sighed. Lily could be so naive, but she supposed all little kids were so it wasn’t something out of the ordinary. In their old house, her and Lily were everything but happy, but the second she was introduced to a big house and “nice” people, that demeanor disappeared. She was fast to trust people, unlike her older sister. Kaitlyn could tell she already completely trusted this family, and she was worried what would happen to her when they revealed who they truly were and it all came crumbling down. 

She turned to face Mr. Washington and her father, who were engaged in what seemed to be a discussion about politics. “M-may I please be excused, sir?”

Mr. Washington smiled and nodded, so she quickly pulled her chair out and ran to the washroom around the corner, not bothering to close the door completely as she leaned over the toilet, puking up the little food she had eaten over the past few days. She couldn’t help but to feel relieved as the calories left her. She felt more in control, more calm and collected. She flushed the toilet and slowly got up, splashing her face with cold water. She leaned against the wall and slowly slid down, burying her head in her arms as she sat down.

“Hey are you o- oh shit, Kaitlyn!” Kaitlyn snapped her head up to see Alex standing at the door, a worried expression on his face.

“I’m fine! I’m fine, I was just- relaxing..?” It came out as more of a question than she would’ve liked.

“Crumpled up on the floor doesn’t exactly seem like relaxing, especially when we heard you throwing up from the kitchen.”

Kaitlyn could feel her face turn red and she stood up, collecting herself. “I-I promise, I’m fine, I just felt nauseous. It’s ok.” She wasn’t sure if she was saying it to Alexander or herself. 

Alex gave her a quizzical expression and tilted his head to the right, his eyes scanning her face, almost as if to try to figure out what she was, what made her into the person she was today. Trying to figure out the mystery that was Kaitlyn Overdree.

“Ok then…” He turned to walk out the door, but paused halfway through, looking back at her. They locked eyes for a few seconds, and he began to talk again. “Hey, Kaitlyn?”

“Yeah?”

“If you ever want to talk about anything, I’ll listen. Just keep that in mind.”

She hesitated for a few seconds before nodding her head and breaking eye contact.

He smiled at her before walking back to the table, Kaitlyn following a few minutes after.

The rest of dinner went smoothly, a few worried glances cast at Kaitlyn that were immediately excused by her father.

After the dishes had been cleaned and put away(Kaitlyn had been amazed they weren’t making her do anything), Laf suggested the three oldest kids go to his room to get to know each other. Of course, Martha and George loved this idea, so away Kaitlyn was dragged to be in a closed room with two teenage boys who could easily beat her up, if not kill her. Hmm. Interesting.

**

“Ok, everyone sit. On the floor,” demanded Laf. 

Alex raised an eyebrow at him. “Geez, no need to be so bossy.”

Laf scoffed, “I am not bossy.” then threw a pillow at him. Alex put his hands up in surrender.

“Ok, ok. What are we here for?”

Lafayette smiled triumphantly. “We, mon ami, are going to get to know Kaitlyn!”

Kaitlyn’s eyes widened. “Um, what?”

Lafayette sat down on the floor across from Alex and Kaitlyn. “We’re just going to talk. Here, ok, I’ll start by asking Kaitlyn a question, then once she answers, I’ll answer it for myself. Alex, you do the same. Kaitlyn, you can also ask questions.” They both nodded hesitantly, neither of them liked talking about themselves, especially not to basically strangers. “Ok, uh, Kaitlyn, how old are you?”

“16.”

Lafayette’s face lit up with delight. “Ah! Same with Alexandre and I! Now, Alex, you ask her a question.”

“Ok… uh, I don’t know, favourite color?”

Kaitlyn thought about this. Did she even have a favourite colour? “Uh, I don’t really know. Does it really matter what colour it is, as long as you like it?”

Alex nodded his head, though obviously he had not been expecting that. “That’s fair. Mine’s green. But not like, army green or bright, emerald green, a darker one. Like the forest.”

Kaitlyn smiled. “Ok, my turn. Can I ask one for both of you?” They both nodded, so she carried on. “Ok, sexualities. I know Lafayette has a boyfriend, but that’s it.”

Alex answered for both of them this time. “Laf’s pan, I’m bi. I also have a boyfriend.” Alex smiled at the thought of John, and Kaitlyn could tell he was deep in love. “You?”

She sighed. “Ugh, I hate labels, but I guess homoflexible? I think? That would be closest, I guess.”

Lafayette and Alex smiled. “Cool!” They both said at the same time. 

The rest of the conversation went fine, none of the questions got more personal than that, and despite her wishes, she was growing closer to the boys every minute.

By the end of the night, she knew they would be close friends. She wasn’t exactly happy about that, but she could let it happen. Just this once. Maybe. 

She didn’t know what would happen, and she knew it would all come crashing down on her later, but she didn’t mind the fact that there were some people out there who didn’t hate her.

Is this what it felt like to have friends? 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HA. You thought it was going to be all nice and fluffy? Nooooooooo. Let the angst BEGIN


	6. Update

Hi! So yeah, sorry, this isn't a real chapter, but I promise there will be one soon!! I've been pretty busy with school ending and everything, I've also been having a lot of writers block, so sorry that I haven't updated in a while! The next one is on it's way, it should be posted sometime this week. Again, sorry!! See y'all next chapter!!

LambsLams<3


	7. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AHHH FINALLY HAMILTON IS ON DISNEY + I"M FREAKING OUT RN
> 
> Eheh sorry.. I'm so excited to watch it especially with the original cast and stuff, but I have to wait until later today so my mom will be done work and my sibling will be home from camp so we can all watch it together but I can't wait ahhghghghgfhgihtouzehf
> 
> Anyway, sorry I haven't updated in like two weeks! I've been pretty busy, and I've been having a lot of writers block, but I wrote this last night at 2 am so here ya go, enjoy!

“Kaitlyn, get ready, we’re going to the mall to get your stuff!”

“Ok, be right down.”

It had been a couple days since they first moved in, so Laf and Alex were going to take Kaitlyn to the mall to get her more clothes and stuff for school. 

She sighed and sat up, stretching her arms from her position on the bed. She still wasn’t used to the luxury of it all, the massive bed with silk sheets and a probably very expensive duvet.

She brushed her hair quickly and put on a small jacket before making her way downstairs.

“You’re going to love the Schuylers. There’s Angelica, Eliza, and Peggy. Ang is in the year above us, same with Laf’s boyfriend, Hercules. Eliza and Peggy are both in our year because Eliza’s birthday is at the very beginning of the year like mine, and Peggy’s at the end of the year. Ang can be kinda intimidating, but…”

Kaitlyn droned out the rest of Alex’s speech, staring out the window and counting the cars as they passed by. 

Soon enough, they arrived at the mall, and Kaitlyn was amazed at the size. She had never been to a proper mall before, even though she lived in New York. She was never allowed, and even if she was it’s not like she would have any money to buy anything.

“Come on, let’s goooo!!!” Kaitlyn made a surprised noise as Laf pulled her inside and didn’t let go until they had reached a restaurant.

Alex and Herc close behind, they made their way into the restaurant, three heads popping up and smiling as they walked in!

“Guys!!” Come!” The one sitting in the middle beckoned for them to sit, tossing her long black hair behind her shoulder as she put her arm down.

Once they had all taken their places, Hercules and Laf on one side, beside the tallest girl, and Alex and Kaitlyn beside the shortest. Kaitlyn was squashed in beside the girl and Alex, and couldn’t help but to blush as she took in the girl’s appearance. She had dark skin, but not as dark as the taller girl, like a caramel chocolate mix. She had long curly hair that was tied into a ponytail, bright eyes and a wide smile. She looked over at Kaitlyn and stuck her hand out, possibly smiling even wider as she began to talk.

“I’m Peggy!!”

A bit surprised at how upfront she was, Kaitlyn took a second to compose herself and shake the girl- Peggy’s hand.

“K-Kaitlyn. I-I’m Alex and Laf’s knew foster sister, I guess.”

Peggy squealed. Literally squealed, like a five year old girl getting a birthday gift. “Oh, I know! We’ve heard all about you, and we’ve been waiting to meet you for like, forever!!”

The girl beside her put a hand on Peggy’s shoulder and sighed. “Pegs, calm down. You're scaring her.” She giggled. “I’m Eliza. It’s nice to meet you, Kaitlyn.” Eliza smiles warmly at her, and it seemed almost motherly to Kaitlyn. She didn’t mind it, though.

The tallest girl reached over to shake her hand and smiled. “Angelica.” And that was it. One word, but Kaitlyn could already tell so much about her. She was confident, but not as energetic as Peggy. Kaitlyn could tell by just her expression that she would do anything for her sisters, and her friends, and Kaitlyn did  _ not _ want to get on her bad side.

She nodded slowly, a smile making its way into her face. “It’s nice to meet you all.” She said this to everyone, she did, but she couldn’t help but to look at Peggy as she said it. 

They chatted away the rest of the night, mostly the others and Kaitlyn making small inserts when it seemed necessary. 

She couldn’t help to notice that Alex acted similar to her, not just at the moment, but the whole time since she had first met him and Laf. It was sort of like a shadow, following him around wherever he went. He hid it well though, she would give him that. If you weren’t already a troubled kid you wouldn’t know the signs of another one, no matter how long it’s been or how much they’ve been through, there are little hints. 

This made Kaitlyn worry. So far it seemed like the Washingtons were good people, and Alex’s behaviour seemed more like a ghost of his past than the present. What had he been through? Was it worse than what she had been through?

Alex turned at this exact moment and locked eyes with Kaitlyn, confused at what she was looking at.

She didn’t look away like she normally would, but instead gave him a look, somehow it consisting of both understanding and trying to understand at the same time. She smiled a bit, but it wasn’t exactly happy. Not sad either.

Realization dawned on Alex’s face, understanding what the look meant and giving a similar one, nodding and smiling before turning back to the conversation, laughing with his friends.

Kaitlyn smiled to herself. Maybe she could be happy here. 

Just maybe.


	8. Again, Not A Chapter

Ok so I'm just re-writing this chapter because honestly it's so different from Time to Take a Shot that I don't think it should really be a sequel.

So from now on, it's just a story about my OC coming to live with the Washingtons about a year after Alex had arrived and a month after he had been adopted. 

The things that I wrote in the original copy of this chapter are still happening, but now that I'm just saying that the only thing similar to Time to Take a Shot is the character's personalities, but that's it, so you should just be able to figure everything out as the story goes on.

A real chapter is being posted in about a minute, I just finished it! I should be doing less of these Updates and things now that everything is more figured out.

If you have any questions or things that I forgot to include, comment down below!!

Thank you for reading, 

LambsLams<3


	9. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Just some brotherly bonding and a bit more stuff on Kaitlyn
> 
> Read the chapter before this, even if you already have, because re-wrote the whole thing so everything just makes a bit more sense.
> 
> TW for minor panic attack

“So Kat, whatcha think of the mall?” 

They had just walked into the living room and had sat down on the couch, Kaitlyn sitting on the floor.

She shrugged. “Lots of people. It was nice to meet the Schuylers, though.”

Alex burst out laughing and Kaitlyn stared at him confused.

“Oh my god, I’m pretty sure that’s almost exactly what I said the first time Laf took me to the mall.” 

Alex’s face was red, but he was beginning to calm down. Kaitlyn had gotten the sense that Alex and his friends were the type to crack up at just about anything, no matter how funny it was .

Lafayette, though, wasn’t laughing, but looking at Alex sternly, even though it was clear he wasn’t mad, just worried.

“Yes, what a fun conversation that led into.”*

Alex stopped laughing, and the energy in the air changed almost immediately.

“Yeah, but that was a long time ago. I’m better now.”

Kaitlyn, not knowing what the conversation had been about, was confused, but after Alex’s response she had a feeling she knew the general reason for Laf’s worrying. 

Looking at Alex, and the way his demeanour changed instantly when the topic of his past self first coming to the Washingtons was brought up, she sent him a look that she hoped would be determined as “Are you, though?”

Alex glared at her for a split second and she worried she had crossed a line, probably offending him, and he probably hated her now, and he was one of the Washingtons’ sons, the people who she was living with, and they were going to be mad, because she made him mad, and it’s all her fault, she should have just kept to herself, she-

“Kaitlyn!”

She snapped her head up to face the voice, surprised when neither of the boys seemed mad, just concerned. But why would they be concerned about her? She made him mad, shouldn’t she be punished?

“Breathe with me, ok? One, two, three, in…”

Alex repeated that until Kaitlyn had calmed down and her breathing had slowed down.

“Are you ok?”

Kaitlyn looked up at him and it was then when she noticed he was actually quite close to her, with his hand on her shoulder and his face just half a foot away from her’s.

She nodded and inched back, giving herself a bit more space. Alex took note of this and it was then to when he realized how close he was, and quickly removed his arm and stood up from his crouched position, coughing awkwardly.

Lafayette stood back, watching this interaction with a knowing smile. It soon faded though when he remembered Alex had a boyfriend, so he placed a hand on Alex shoulder and pulled him away.

“We will be right back Kaitlyn, try to just catch your breath.”

She nodded again, and looked away as Laf and Alex walked into the kitchen.

“Alexandre, what was that?”

“What was what?”

“That whole thing that just happened with Kaitlyn.” 

Alex glanced back at the living room. “I don’t know, man. I wonder what she’s been through. It might have to do with her dad, there’s something weird about him. He kinda reminds me of my old foster parents sometimes.”

Laf flinched. “I agree, but you know that’s not what I’m talking about.”

Alex rolled his eyes. “It was nothing, Laf, I just forgot about personal space in the midst of everything. And we’re practically strangers, of course it would be awkward.”

“If you say so, mon ami.” Laf had crossed his arms, and had a spectical look on his face.

“Laf, stop. You  _ know _ how crazy I am about John.”

Laf smiled. “I do.”

“Trust me?” 

“I do.”

Alex smiled too. “Good. Now, let’s go handle the whole situation out there.” He gestured towards the living room, and Laf nodded before the both of them headed back out.

“Kaitlyn, do you want to tell us what that was about?” Laf asked. He and Alex had sat down on the floor beside her, both of them leaning against the couch.

Kaitlyn shrugged. “It’s nothing, just a small panic attack. Trust me, I’ve had worse.”

Laf frowned. “That is not good, ma chérie.”

“It doesn’t matter, I’m used to it.”

Laf frowned yet again. “That is also not good. Can you tell us why it happened? Or do you not want to talk about it, that I would completely understand.”

He glanced at Alexander as he said this. He wasn’t lying, he understood. He didn’t when Alex first came, always prying and pushing and trying to get him to open up. Eventually, he did, but after several months

“Sorry, Laf, I’m kinda tired. I think I’m gonna go to bed.”

Laf sighed, but nodded. “Of course. Goodnight, Kaitlyn.”

“‘Night, Laf. Night, Alex.” Alex, who had not spoken a word this entire conversation, snapped his head up when he heard his name. Realizing what she’d said, he smiled.

“Night, Kat.”

Kaitlyn was surprised at the nickname, only Lily had ever called her that. She gave Alex a quizzical look, but nodded and went upstairs to her room.

“Alexandre?”

“Hmm?”

Laf scooted closer to his adopted brother, sitting only about an inch away.

“Are you ok?”

Alex turned his head to face Lafayette with a confused expression on his face. “Yeah, why?”

“You haven’t said a word since the kitchen.”

“Oh. I don’t know, it’s just the whole topic of panic attacks. I haven’t had one in a while,”  _ Lie. _ “but it’s still a little weird, you know?”

Laf smiled warmly. “I don’t know, but I at least try to understand.”

Alex smiled too. He refused to think of George and Martha as ‘Dad’ and ‘Mom’, or even just as parents in general, but he and Laf had such a strong connection, he couldn’t help but to think of them as brothers. Of course, he would never say this out loud.  **(Not yet, anyway)**

“Thanks, Laf.”

“Anytime, mon frère.” 

Alex tensed. He knew what that meant, obviously,  **(it means “my brother”)** and all of the Washingtons knew that titles such as ‘son’ and ‘brother’ were off limits, as Alex would correct anyone who called him either.

But just  _ maybe _ ,  _ maybe _ , it was starting to grow on him.

Of course, Laf knew that he had taken a risk by calling Alex that, and he had started to worry when he saw Alex tense up. They sat there together, in an awkward silence, and Laf was amazed he hadn’t corrected him yet. 

Finally, after about a minute, Alex spoke.

“I like that.”

Laf was amazed, but that was the understatement of the century. 

Alex has lost all of his family, Laf knew this, and after so much hurt he had built stone walls surrounding his heart, not letting anyone get close, not even a smidge. 

But Laf had managed to break down one of those walls. Not all, not even close, but he didn’t care. The fact that he had managed to even crack one of those walls was mind blowing.

Lafayette beamed at Alexander, pulling him into a tight hug. He felt Alex flinch at first, but slowly let Laf embrace him.

They sat there for a moment before Alex cleared his throat and untangled himself from Laf’s grasp, which was amazingly tight, and stood up. 

“I’m gonna go to bed too.”

“D’accord. I will stay down here for a while, but I will come up after.”

“Night, Laf.”

“Goodnight, Alexandre.”


	10. Get the FUCK AWAY FROM HER!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey y'all! I'm gonna start naming chapters, so that'll be fun
> 
> !!TW!!
> 
> Violence, child abuse, alcoholism

Kaitlyn woke up at 4:30, and didn’t bother trying to get back to sleep as she knew she wouldn’t.

She got up, and went downstairs to explore the house. 

She felt like maybe she shouldn’t be doing this, and the Washingtons might be mad, but she had realized that she had only ever seen the kitchen, the living room, all the kids’ and adults rooms, and the bathrooms, but that was it, and she knew there were way more rooms than just that. 

For god sakes, they lived in a mansion!

She stood in the middle of the living room, choosing to go downtown the hallway beside the kitchen.

There were tons of rooms, most of them storage space and the occasional bedroom, maybe for previous foster kids? Or they could be guest bedrooms. 

She didn’t think much of it and kept walking, until she found a massive room, about as big as the living room, filled with massive amounts of books and papers and pens. It was a dream come true to Kaitlyn.

She had always loved books, but her father would refuse to buy her anything, so she would be forced to take out ratty, uninteresting books from the school library. It was better than nothing, she supposed.

But this, this was amazing. 

There were shelves reaching the tall ceiling, surrounding the walls, filled with too many books to count. There were several couches and chairs, and one desk in the corner of the room. It was dusty, but not as if it hadn’t been used in a long time, it just hadn’t been cleaned.

She didn’t want to intrude, but she could say no to this magnificent library, so she made her way inside, picked her books until she had a massive pile of them on the floor beside one of the chairs. She took a seat and started to read.

  
  
  


She didn’t notice that the sun had risen and it was morning, probably close to when the others would wake up, until she heard someone clattering around in the kitchen and she broke from her trance. 

She looked at her pile of books, which was significantly smaller, and sighed. This was her happy place.

She sat there for a few minutes, just relaxing in the safe atmosphere, smiling.

“What the fuck are you doing in here?”

She snapped her head up and looked towards the door, seeing her father leaning against the doorframe with a bottle of liquor in his hand, already half empty.

Of course, he was already drinking and it couldn’t have been past 7:30 in the morning.

She stood up immediately, straightening her posture as she began to apologize.

“Nothing, father! I was just curious-“

She stopped talking as her dad took a step towards her, unreasonable fury in his eyes.

She gulped. There was no way out of this one, she had gone into the Washingtons’ rooms without permission, taking advantage of their stay, and her father was drunk, so, no persuading him that it was an accident of some sort.

“You think that you can just walk wherever you want, young lady? Think you do whatever you want, you don’t ask permission for anything!”

Kaitlyn took a step back as her father grew closer.

“The Washingtons are letting us stay here, and all you do in return is snoop around their private spaces, you ungrateful little bitch!”

Slap.

“Father, I-“

“Shut up with the talking back, young lady! I will not tolerate your rudeness!”

He shoved Kaitlyn down on the floor and kicked her ribs, probably bruising them pretty good.

Kaitlyn made some sort of strangled noise as he kicked her again, but spoke up.

“F-fuck you, d-dad. All you ever do is drink and-“

She couldn’t finish her sentence as he threw the glass of liquor- probably vodka- at her, smashing it against the side of her head. She put her hands up as an attempt to shield herself from the glass, but she was too late and it hit her head. Kaitlyn ried out in pain.

“Shut it up, will you! Don’t want the whole neighborhood to wake, do you?”

A silhouette pulled her father away from her.

“Get the FUCK AWAY FROM HER!”

  
  
  
  


George woke up a bit past seven, turning over to see his sleeping wife. He smiled at how peaceful she looked.

Yawning, he stood up, heading down to the kitchen to make himself some coffee. He was wearing sweatpants and a large t-shirt, and he was comfortable in those clothes, he didn’t feel the need to change and get all dressed just to go downstairs and relax.

He walked past Alex’s room, noticing the light on and hearing two voices, one being Alexander and the other Laf. He couldn’t hear what they were saying, but decided just to keep heading down to the kitchen. They would come down when they were ready.

As he entered the kitchen, he noticed that the liquor cabinet was open, and one of the bottles was missing. Confused, he closed the cabinet and started to walk around the house, wondering if someone had possibly broken in? But if that were the case, they would have taken more than just a bottle of vodka.

He started to exit the kitchen to go back upstairs, but stopped as he heard yelling from down the hallway. He started to jog towards the sound, getting increasingly worried as he heard the sound of shattering glass, and then a cry.

He arrived at the scene, shocked at what he saw before him. Kaitlyn was on the floor with her hands shielding her face, tears running down her cheeks. There was shattered glass around her and her head was noticeably bleeding, and she had a bruise on her left cheek. Standing above her was Frederick, a vein popping out of his forehead as he yelled at her, completely unaware of George standing at the doorway.

He snapped out of his shock and ran towards Frederick, grabbing him by the collar and lifting him off the ground.

“Get the FUCK AWAY FROM HER!”

  
  
  


Alex woke up at around 4:30, his usual time. He knew it was early for the majority of people, but to him it was just natural. He had actually gotten a pretty good sleep, he hadn’t had a nightmare, and had managed to fall asleep before midnight. Against his will of course, Laf made him. 

Once Laf had come upstairs from last night he had seen Alex’s light on and forced him into bed, staying in his room until he had fallen asleep.

He sat at his desk and pulled out his laptop, beginning to type out whatever was in his head. 

Normally he would have hours each morning where he would wake up, write in pure silence except for the clicking of his keyboard, and then go downstairs after everyone had gotten up.

This morning however, was a little different.

First, he heard a door open and close, and then footsteps going past his room and down the stairs. He knew none of his fami- he knew none of the other people in the house woke as early as he did, and Mr. Overdree didn’t seem the type to be a morning person, so he would have to assume the footsteps were Kaitlyn. He debated for a second on going after her and seeing what she was up to, but he decided to let her be by herself. It was he would have liked when he first came here.

He started to write again, but his thoughts were consumed by Kaitlyn.

The bruises on her wrists.

The way she ran from the kitchen table.

The small panic attack he had managed to calm her down from.

It all reminded him of himself when he first arrived.

Small, thin, weak, fragile.

Scared.

He was worried for Kaitlyn. Something bad was going on, and he had an idea of what it was, but he couldn’t jump to conclusions.

He thought about all the different possibilities for at least an hour or two, desperate to help the girl he just met.

He didn’t know why.

Well, no. He did.

He was trying to do to Kaitlyn what he wished someone had done for him.

That wasn’t completely fair, though, the Washingtons helped so much and he couldn’t be more grateful, but by then Alex was already too far gone to really save. With time, maybe. Eventually.

But he didn’t think Kaitlyn was that lost just yet. 

He stood up and exited his room, going into Laf’s.

He walked over to where his brother slept, and not so gently shook him awake.

“Laf. Laf. Laaaaaf.”

Laf groaned and rolled over, squinting at Alex, who was currently above him.

“W-what time is it?” His voice was groggy.

“I don’t know, like 6:30ish?”

“Why am I awake at this ungodly hourrrr..”

Alex chuckled, before regaining his seriousness and shook Laf again.

“Laf, get up. I couldn’t sleep and I want to talk to you about something.”

Laf looked at Alex again, trying to see if he was serious or not. Seeing his expression, he sighed and sat up.

“Fine.”

Alex smiled. 

“Thank you. Now come, we’re going to my room.”

Las groaned again, but reluctantly stood up and followed Alex to his room.

  
  


“D’accord, what do you want to talk about?”

“Kaitlyn.”

Laf raised an eyebrow. “What about her?”

They both sat on his bed, Laf criss crossing his legs and Alex stretching his legs out.

“Remember when we first met her?”

Laf nodded.

“I know you saw the bruises on her wrists too, Laf. They’re- they’re a lot like some of the ones I had when I first came here.”

Alex squirmed uncomfortably on his bed, refusing to look in Laf’s direction. It wasn’t something he liked talking about, obviously, and it was a miracle that he even mentioned it.

Laf pursed his lips, knowing what that meant.

“I don’t know for sure, Laf, it could’ve just been some people at school or something, and now that she’s moved that won’t be a problem here, but- what if whoever gave her those bruises came with her?”

Laf nodded slowly, knowing they were both thinking the same thing.

“Mon frère, I think you might be right, but there is nothing we can do at the moment. We can talk to George and Martha about it this afternoon, maybe?”

At just that moment, they heard someone walking outside Alex’s room.

Alex looked to Laf. “It’s probably just George. Should we go talk to him?”  __

Laf shook his head. “No, let's at least wait until he’s had his coffee.”

Alex chuckled. “Yeah, that’s probably a good idea.”

They stayed in there for a bit longer, just talking about random things, before they heard another set of footsteps walk down the hall.

“Way too loud to be Martha, it’s probably Frederick.”

Laf nodded. “Once Martha has gotten up we can go downstairs, we have to keep up our reputation of sleeping in, you know.”

Alex scoffed playfully. “ _ Our _ reputation? I’m pretty sure-“

“Get the FUCK AWAY FROM HER!”


End file.
